The question hanging over Niger’s UN appearance

What is the real price of a speech? At the 81st United Nations General Assembly, Niger’s military-appointed Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, delivered yet another passionate defence of national sovereignty. Before an audience of international envoys, the junta’s representative repeated the familiar themes of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP): reclaiming national resources, economic independence, and breaking with neocolonialism.

But once the cameras are switched off and the applause fades, the numbers tell a different story for the generals in Niamey. Under General Abdourahamane Tiani and his government, Niger’s economic crown jewels are mired in chaotic management. Behind the patriotic veneer, the industrial record of SOMAÏR and SONIDEP reveals a financial disaster that is already costing the Nigerian people dearly.

The SOMAÏR collapse: from promised recovery to uranium heart failure

For decades, uranium from Arlit fuelled a narrative of resentment. By taking operational control of the Société des Mines de l’Aïr (SOMAÏR) and sidelining longtime French partner Orano, Tiani and his circle promised a financial windfall for the country.

The reality on the ground is catastrophic: uranium production has plummeted by around 80% since the new authorities took over.

• Broken supply chains: The inability to deliver essential chemical reagents (such as sulphuric acid) and logistical blockages at borders have paralysed the Arlit site.
• Commercial bottleneck: Without solid distribution networks and reliable export certificates, tonnes of uranium concentrate (yellowcake) remain stockpiled on site, unsellable.
• Immediate social impact: Local subcontractors are no longer paid, jobs are evaporating, and the tax revenues expected to fund hospitals or schools have turned into a mirage.

Changing the flag on a factory gate is not enough to make its machines run. In mining engineering, amateur slogans are no substitute for technical expertise and rigorous management.

SONIDEP and the mystery of the 25 billion FCFA black hole

If uranium management is a shipwreck, the oil dossier borders on a state scandal. The Société Nigérienne des Produits Pétroliers (SONIDEP), propelled by the CNSP to the heart of the crude oil marketing strategy—notably via the new giant pipeline to the Beninese coast—was supposed to be the financial engine of this new era.

Yet, according to internal balance sheets and progress reports, SONIDEP is posting an abyssal loss estimated at over 25 billion CFA francs.

That figure alone illustrates the failure of the military management model: on one side, SOMAÏR sees its production collapse by nearly 80%, destroying the added value of the uranium sector; on the other, SONIDEP, meant to reap the fruits of national oil, is accumulating a record deficit of 25 billion FCFA instead of filling state coffers. Together, these two public flagships symbolise a genuine system of public resource evaporation under the cover of illusory nationalism.

How does a national company holding a monopoly on black gold distribution, in a country supposed to become a major oil exporter, manage to accumulate such a financial chasm? The absence of certified accounting statements and the radio silence from the Ministry of Oil fuel all suspicions: poor management, dubious negotiated contracts, improvised intermediaries, and overbilling.

Sovereignty cannot be a screen for incompetence

Faced with this industrial rout, the reflex of the Tiani-Zeine tandem is well-oiled: systematically blame ECOWAS, international sanctions, the “invisible hand of imperialism,” or the management of previous regimes.

At some point, the leaders led by Abdourahamane Tiani must answer to their population:

1. Where are the audit reports promised with great fanfare after the July 2023 coup?
2. How are Niger’s oil and uranium sales contracts really negotiated?
3. What exactly are the rare revenues collected by the Treasury used for if major state companies are going bankrupt?

True sovereignty of a people is measured by concrete actions and results: public enterprises that create value, salaries paid on time, investment in basic services, and full transparency on public finances.

By using the patriotic argument to mask the failures of SOMAÏR and SONIDEP, the CNSP distorts the very meaning of the word sovereignty. The Nigerian people cannot feed on speeches at the UN: they need an economy that works.

By Boureima Amadou — Reporter